CFI.co Meets the CEO of BOD Tech: Mike Than Tun Win

It is often said that the world is a book and that those who do not travel only read one page. If that is true, then those who start traveling from an early age have quite an advantage over those who do so later and especially over those who rarely travel at all. Given that he spent the first eight years of his life in his native Myanmar only to move to Singapore, it comes as no surprise at all that Mike Than Tun Win is today a successful CEO and founder of several progressive, forward-thinking, and exceptionally successful companies. Because that’s what happens when one gains life experience: it overcomes challenges by thinking outside the box.

Having spent a number of years in school, studying hard at Victoria School, then Temasek Junior College and, ultimately, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Mike Than Tun Win returned to his home country in 2010 with a unique dream: to transform Myanmar entrepreneurship in a way never before seen. His mission? To do so by making giant leaps forward, one of which was founding no less than eight companies across Myanmar, Thailand, and Singapore. These successful companies cover the automotive, distribution and petrochemical sectors.

However, this was only the beginning. In 2014, and thanks to his business prowess and foresight, Mr Win founded BOD Tech with a single goal: unleashing the power local entrepreneurship in Myanmar through the use of technology and then growing and nurturing it until it becomes the single most advanced and creative industry in the nation. Too bold? Overly confident? Supremely arrogant, perhaps? Not at all, and here’s why: in order to achieve great things, one needs to not only be extremely hardworking and have an unconventional approach to things, but also needs to be in the right place at the right time. Would Steve Jobs be who he was if it hadn’t been for Bill Gates? No way to tell for sure, but likely not.

Mike Than Tun Win not only has an impressive education that enables him to leverage every existing business strategy to his favour but more importantly, the hardships that he has endured have inspired him to realise that only by disrupting existing rules can one truly revolutionise any endeavour. Mr Win’s impressive track record speaks for itself. All of the companies he has founded still stand strong today, something that is evident even in his latest business venture. Being a local venture capitalist involves not just taking risks, but rather taking educated guesses about the future of start-ups and of the entire economy. If you were to define venture capitalism in such a way, then that definition would be incomplete in any encyclopaedia without Mr Win’s picture above it.

BOD Technology typically invests in internet companies – something Mr Win sees as the fastest and most secure way to the future. Among its portfolio are companies such as laundry.com, travel booking site flymya.com, online-to-offline platform Yangon Door2Door, and e-commerce platform shopmyar.com. However, all the hard work in the world will not result in progress, let alone a revolution, unless it is fuelled by a clear and precise vision. Because of his vision to completely transform the way companies conduct their business in the future, Mr Win will continue to tirelessly overcome challenges in making sure the future is here much earlier than expected.